The Date Swap

by Lydia Westing

Vivacious and forthright, Lyla Taylor is honest, except when it comes to her family. It’s self-preservation, really; she doesn't want to give her judgmental mother any more ammunition than she already has. But there’s no lie that will cover up the fact that Lyla is attending her cousin’s Hawaiian destination wedding alone. Until she meets the recently single, straitlaced, and handsome stranger Daniel Dugray in the airport.

Since they both need a date to their Hawaiian wedding weekend, Lyla convinces Daniel they can be each other’s dates. Among all the secrets she keeps from her family, what’s one more? Tripping through bad weather, ex-lovers, and convincing their families they’ve known each other more than a few hours, Lyla and Daniel struggle to keep up the ruse. As their families pry into their fake love-life, Lyla and Daniel work to last out the weekend until they can part ways forever. At least that was the original plan. Of all the lies Lyla is keeping up, denying her growing feelings for Daniel is the one she needs to last.

Charming characters in a tropical getaway makes Lydia Westing’s The Date Swap a cozy read you can’t put down.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary, Fake Dating, Chick Lit, Rom Com, Fiction

Audiobook

Published December 15, 2020

Reviews

[Ale - viajentreletras · Rating 1 out of 5]

Una mezcla entre The Unhoneymooners y The Love Hypothesis, pero no salió cómo se esperaba.

Básicamente estos dos personajes se encuentran en el aeropuerto, resulta que van al mismo destino y están viajando porque fueron invitados a una boda, pero no es la misma, ella va a la de su hermana, y él al de su sobrina. ¿El plot? Ambos van solteros pero sus familiares esperan que vayan acompañados y con el amor de sus vidas. ¿El plot twist? Ambos llegan a las bodas fingiendo ser parejas.

Suena muy bien y adictivo, pero no. Es aburrido y aunque este cliché me fascina, aquí la autora no supo jugar con él.

[Emmyreads444 · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh 😬

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun Hawaii based summer fake dating romance with some cute LGBTQIA+ rep. Don't expect perfection but if you just need something summery and fun, that won't take too much brain power or time, this might hit the spot perfectly.

*Scribd exclusive

[Rida Quraishi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This acted out as a filler for me since I was drained with reading a lot this day and I wanted an audiobook that would just do its thing without me having to put in a lot of concentration. But I guess, that was the only good thing about it along with the cover. Going into the book, I was expecting it to be light, fluffy, summer romance but all of it was sort of overpowered by the fact that I could not distinguish much with the two main characters. Their POV felt too similar and I could distinguish between the two only when the name of the other one was mentioned. I was yearning for a physical copy to read along with the audio, but alas!

Other than that, the book had okayish level of fun. It has a fake dating romance (which I love) between Lyla and Daniel, set in Hawaiian summer. The meet at the airport and soon discover that they're both attending a wedding here and don't have dates. So they decide to be together. But when family starts to pry for more information it becomes difficult for Lyla and Daniel to keep up the ruse.

I know, this sounds like a very familiar plot which has been too many times but... umm... it way okay. Not bad, but not great!

[Bookish Benz · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was cute and simple! Perfect for a filler ❣️

[Veronic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall it was a cute story, but there were too many inconsistencies for me.
I listened to this on audio, and there is nothing worse than having a male and female pov but with no discernible difference in narration. I wasn't sure which pov I was listening to until they mentioned the other person.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

MEH. That is really all I can say about this book. I laughed out loud a couple of times, so I definitely thought it was going to be a bit more plucky then it was. I picked it primarily though because of the short audiobook length... that'll teach me.

[Yelani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Katy]

DNF - it’s a no for me.

[Kayla Munson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and cute read. I've been in a slump so it was nice to just breeze through this book.

[Imanewreader ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

... i only have one word (if you count it as a word) : meh.

not bad, not good nor great.
i just needed to fill some spare time. i wasn't drawn to the story, attached to the characters.

[maha · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun, though completely forgettable if i have to be honest.

[Sharné Bodenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really sweet fun read that made me laugh out loud.

[chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

surprisingly good
unrealistic and too short, but good with a satisfying ending

[Brit · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a cute and fun and fast read.

[Faith aka Suckerforcoffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice fast paced read..

[Michelle Schriefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This super quick, adorable rom-com was exactly what I was looking for to get me out of my slump. It was a bit "fluffy" but was a fun book, and I enjoyed it.

[SammiKoalaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a sweet, short book. I enjoyed the fake dating and the almost grumpy sunshine trope. Definitely recommend!

[Taylor Rizo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lyla and Daniel are complete strangers. They meet at the airport both on their way to Hawaii, both attending different weddings. Over a drink they both come to realize that their families are expecting dates or significant others to attend the wedding. But they are both supposed to show up single and dateless. Lyla has the genius idea to be each other‘s dates to the weddings. This book takes you on the journey of both main characters attending family weddings, both families questioning the significant other, and the two gaining feelings throughout the book. This was a quick and easy audio listen. I really enjoyed the silliness and quirkiness of the book. I connected with Lyla who is also an art teacher and loved the sense of explaining creativity coming through young kids. The one thing that I wish would have been in place in this book is more character development and setting description. I felt as if the ending was a bit rushed and like any other book it always ends in a happy ending I was hoping for a plot twist or something more intriguing but was a bit letdown. For the cliché romance novel I think this was a good easy read and great for someone who loves the predictable ending and the lovers to or strangers to lovers.

[Jay (he-him) · Rating 4 out of 5]

honestly, i did not think i would like this book so much. the first chapter was very interesting. the premise was really gripping and the idea of fake dating at a wedding while swapping the venues every 10 mins is really intriguing. but, there were times when I felt the story wasn't really going anywhere and that there are some bland chapters. HOWEVER, that all quickly changed and the plot became so interesting when they had to keep swapping every so often and the lies were getting too much.

the only thing I did not like about this is, there were times I couldn't tell who the chapter was focusing on. The POV was a little confusing for me because I was listening to an audiobook for this and there was only 1 narrator speaking for both the characters.

I absolutely loved the queer representation this book has. I was HERE for it! and all the wedding activities they got to do for both the weddings!! Aaaaa it was so cute. And the dates they had between the weddings and their real kisses, real confessions among all the facade they had to put on was really adorable.

The ending was satisfying and the way it all came to a full circle in the epilogue of them deciding that they would get married in the same place everything started for them was perfect.

[Skyler Stuckwish · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the greatest. It had a lot of *potential* but it fell so short. My #1 complaint was that (especially as a listener of the audiobook) was this could have GREATLY benefitted from specifically titles “Lyla” and “Daniel” chapters. It would switch perspectives and I’d get confused because it didn’t state who was the narrator and there was only one female narrator. For as different as the characters were described as being, it was not easy to differentiate between the two. The romance-y feelings that Daniel starts to have honestly felt like they came out of nowhere. So did Lyla’s but it was less annoying. Both of the mains both felt very flat and so did a lot of the side characters. I could go on about things I didn’t like but I’m going to quit while I’m ahead.

TL;DR - Fake dating is my FAVORITE but this was not.

[Eva Edge · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Date Swap by Lydia Westing is light summery, fun and so enjoyable! I loved it.

I was specifically looking for something easy and fun as I needed to relax my mind after some heavy books and this book didn't disappoint me! It was so easy to get to know the characters, it was so easy to like them. Some moments made me laugh out loud!

It was interesting to see differences in family dynamics and how two completely different people can make such a nice impact on each other.

Lyla and Daniel are heading to Hawaii to attend weddings. Two minutes ago they didn't know each other now they will pretend to be the plus one.
As we can expect fake dating comes with a lot of fun, misunderstandings and sparks that we all love in a good romance.

[andrea v. (andrea’s galley) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Actual Rating: 3 stars
Content Warnings: None that I can think of.

This audiobook follows Lyla and Daniel as they fake their way through two family weddings—they did not have dates and were both heading to adjacent resorts, so might as well, right? Set in Hawaii, this could be a fun listen if you’re going on a tropical vacation.

For what I understand, this seems to be an exclusive audiobook for Scribd, which is kind of cool, but I must say I was a bit disappointed. This audiobook felt like a Wattpad story of sorts. Just make any of the main characters a famous pop star, and there you’d have it. I also wouldn’t call this a romance. It did not bang (truly). But it was fun and short, and entertaining enough to listen.

The audiobook is about 3 hours long (or 1.5 hours long if you listen to it in x2, like I do). I think if it would’ve been any longer, this might’ve been a DNF for me. But if you have Scribd, by all means, give it a listen. I’m not sure who I’d recommend this book to, but it serves as a quick filler or pallet cleanser after any book that’s touched a heavy or dark subject.

[Morgan Fries · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a cute short love story. i absolutely loved the character growth through out it, and of course how it all played out in the end. i knew from the moment they met in the airport it was love at first sight. i also particularly love the character growth from Daniels side. After going through a breakup recently he really realized it was the right reason for breaking up and Lila clearly brings out a hidden adventurous side he needs!! I absolutely loved the sarcasm from Lila’s side — she reminds me too much of me haha! Such a great listen too!! 10/10 recommend.

[Moushmi Radhanpara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lyla Taylor is honest, except when it comes to her family. She is attending her cousin’s Hawaiian destination wedding alone because of her recent break up. Daniel Dugray is recently single and is also attending a wedding at Hawaii. As chance may have it they meet at the airport and decide to pretend to be each other's dates at both weddings. Things eventually get complicated when they start to have feelings for each other.

A charming, cozy, filler kind of a read. I can safely say there could have been more to it, but a pretty read nonetheless.

[It’s Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quick, adorable rom-com was exactly what I needed to break a reading slump. Light, fun, and effortlessly engaging, it introduced characters I instantly liked and moments that had me laughing out loud. I loved the contrast in family dynamics and how two very different people could change each other in such sweet ways. The fake-dating trope delivered all the humor, misunderstandings, and sparks I expect from a great romance. Perfect for when you want something heartwarming, funny, and easy to devour in one sitting.

[Caitlin Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little fun read. A good beach book if there ever was one. Although, I was listening to the audio book and the way the narrator pronounced Hawaii and Kaua’i is so distracting. It’s probably the correct pronunciation but it’s like they dropped it in as an overdub for each mention. Which are several.

I would also recommend they have an editor review for continuity- at one point they refer to one of the main characters as Lydia instead of Lyla, and some other continuity problems.

[Brad Burgin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really cute and fun read. I like Both the main characters. The only reason this didn't get a higher rating is because I have seen this plot line a few times in books and just enjoyed them a little more. This is still something that I will recommend to everyone, also am very intrested to read other books by this author. Loved her writing style and the flow of her book. I started reading this and was like dang im already on page... whatever. Truly fun and cute read.

[Busy_beereader · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, I listened to the audiobook while at work, so I guess that is what made it more bearable. There were some comments and situations that annoyed me while reading, but this was honestly such a brief and fast read that I almost forgot everything about the story.

Long story short, it can entertain you a little, but don't expect a great story or interesting characters that will stay in your mind for a while.

[Laryssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, quick read/listen.

Just your typical girl meets boy at an airport. Girl and boy are both going to weddings in Hawaii and both need dates! Lies are told, pre-wedding events are juggled, exes and parents are duped, etc..

Because it is so short, everything is accelerated.

The audiobook version can be slightly confusing because the book flips between his and her perspective. There is only one narrator and she doesn't change her voice at all for Daniel's pov.